Wow, Raymond Feist is really phoning it in here. Feist is one of my guilty pleasures as far as books go, and only one of two high fantasy authors I read everything from any more (the other one being George R. R. Martin). That may have to change, though.
Flight of the Nighthawks really isn’t all that well written, what with half the characters using idioms straight out of the 20th century and with clumsy and distracting phrasing that any editor should have been able to catch. It seems pretty clear that Feist wants to write something in another genre, but can’t make himself or is just fulfilling some contract. Two of the characters even get drunk on whiskey (a far cry from the staples of ale or wine) and one of them owns a restaurant. I’m not against breaking out of the mould, but Feist’s really not doing anything interesting with it; it’s like he’s breaking the rules out of bordom, not creativity.
The book doesn’t even have a very interesting story, unlike previous installments in this new series. The pacing is completely bizzare, the characters are uniformly uninteresting, and Feist can’t seem to let go of old standbys (though that’s probably just as well, since his new characters are unremarkable). Oh, and everybody gets a plotline in this book. Magnus? He’s got one. Pug? One for him. Nakor? Caleb? Tal Hawkins? Kaspar? Yep, all got their own private plotlines. Miranda? Well, no –she’s a woman and for some reason Feist doesn’t write women. Just as well, though. And it’s not like all these threads weave together in any significant way. It’s practically the SAME overall story as the last book –cliched, mad magician disguises self and tries to take over the world only to be suddenly stoped by a party of high level characters once the page count hits a certain mark. Bleh.
I think Feist needs to take another break. Write something in another genre, whatever. I’m sure I’ll read the last 2 or however many books in this series just to close it out, but I’m not exactly hopping from one foot to the next in anticipation and I really hope things pick back up.
I notice that the last Robert Jordan Book you read (at least read and listed) was Winter’s Heart in 2003. Have you any plans to get caught up on the series?
Good lord, no. I finally gave up on that series after Winter’s Heart. Actually, I think I tried to read the first chapter of whatever the next book was, but I just couldn’t do it. It was awful. To make my abandonment official, I took all my hardcover copies of the books and sold them on eBay to raise money for a new digital camera.
No offense if you’re a fan, but I view what Jordan did to that series as a travisty.
I am two thirds of the way through Robin Hobb’s first Farseeer trilogy. It’s kind of boring for long stretches, but pretty good otherwise.
None taken. I think I’m one of those rare fans that authors LOVE. Once I get hooked on a story it’s hard to disappoint me bad enough to get me to stop reading. I’ve just got to know what happens. I’ve known others in your brotherhood, of course. And hey, I’ve got no beef.
Although Feist lost me a few books back. I just couldn’t buy into the new generation of heroes. Or, it had been too long in-between the first series and its continuation. And I think I just plain grew out of Piers Anthony.
I was afraid to start reading the latest WOT book, because it has been literally YEARS since I’ve been in the series. I was sure I’d be lost. But, surprisingly enough I was sucked right back in after the prologue. Even more surprisingly I managed to finish the book after a scant week (though prior to motherhood I would have finished in more like a weekend). Enter one bright idea to check Wikipedia for plot synopses and … blammo. You gotta love the net.
Robin Hobbs and Farseer, huh? Just how boring are the boring parts?
It’s decidedly non-epic, which is kind of why I like it. The main character spends huge chunks of the books just living out his life in a castle. There are no (well, few) big set pieces in the forms of battles, journeys, quests, or fights. It’s slow at times, but all about the character development.